What is Maesil (Korean green plum)?

Our Plum Hard Seltzer was crafted to bring back the flavors of maesil-cha (매실차). Also known as plum tea, it's a traditional Korean tea that's made from green plums (known as maesil in Korean).

Green plums (known as maesil in Korea) are a tangy, earthy fruit native to Asia. 

Commonly known in the US as Asian plum or ume, green plums are actually closely related to apricots. The flower of this fruit is famous - the long beloved plum blossom has been a beloved subject in Asian art and culture and is the official flower of Taiwan.

The raw green plum is bitter and very tart and sour. As a result, the fruit is rarely consumed as-is or raw.  Therefore, green plums are most commonly consumed by preserving them in a large jar with sugar to create “maesil-cheong” (green plum extract). Over the course of 3 months to a year, the plum’s juices are extracted and lightly fermented in the sugar base, turning into the tart, woody, and fragrant syrup. 

 At Lunar, we've taken green plums from South Korea and fermented them into the fragrant maesil cheong in the process of making our Plum Hard Seltzer. You'll taste the tart and sweet yet woody notes with each sip, and we find that the flavor profile is reminiscent of a good dessert wine.